1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates, generally, to children""s car seats and, more particularly, to inserts for children""s car seats to provide improved support for the child, especially for infants and newborns.
2. Description of Related Art
All states require that children be restrained in an appropriate car seat while in an operating vehicle. While the states differ on the exact maximum child size and age requirement, they all have laws that are designed to protect children until they are old or big enough so that only seat belts provide appropriate safety. This is especially important for newborns just being discharged from the hospital after birth. Child car seat manufacturers have developed standard types and sizes of car seats to assure parents that not only are their children safe but that they are compliant with the laws of the States. Unfortunately, these standardized child car seats cannot accommodate newborns or very small infants, including premature newborns and prematurely discharged newborns weighing 2 kg. or less.
This creates a problem for the parents in transporting the child. This problem affects not only the comfort of the child but also his or her safety and health. Studies have shown that premature infants have significant decreases in oxygen saturation while restrained in a car seat with 30% experiencing hypoxia, bradycardia, sleep apnea or some combination of those conditions. The decrease in oxygen saturation is directly related to the degree to which the infant is reclining in the car seat; the more upright the infant, the greater the physiological risk, the more supine, the lesser the risk. This occurs because the more upright the infant, the greater the tendency for the infant to slouch or slump, either forward or sideways, thereby resulting in airway obstruction in the infant. Infant slouching or slumping occurs for two basic reasons, low birth weight infants cannot resist the gravitational effects if their bodies are in a too upright position, and standard sized child car seats do not provide the necessary support and orientation for these infants to prevent the gravitational effects. These effects can cause secondary slumping since most infants do not have the physical maturation of the back to maintain an upright position.
To counteract this effect, parents and other caregivers have resorted to rolling up towels, blankets, etc. and wedging them into the space between the infant and the child car seat. Although this method may provide a remedy for the problem, it does not secure the child in the event of an accident or other sudden operation of the automobile.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,735,576 to Pepys, et al discloses a head support device for a child""s car seat. The Pepys, et al device is a flexible, folding support that does not provide the necessary full body cushioning and support for children of any size. Basic Comfort, Inc. provides a similar type of head support insertable in a car seat. This device also provides a head and body support but without the necessary cushioning to prevent slouching or slumping.
Accordingly, there exists a need for a child""s car seat insert that provides a cushioning positioner and secures the child in the car seat when the child is too small for the car seat. The cushioning positioner should secure the child in a physiologically and physically beneficial orientation and protect the child from injury.
The present invention provides a child""s car seat insert that satisfies the aforementioned need.
Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide a cushioning positioner that inserts into any standard child""s car seat.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a cushioning positioner that will secure any size child, but especially newborns and infants, including those weighing less than 2 kg, in a physiologically and physically beneficial position while in a car seat.
It is yet another object of the present invention to provide a cushioning positioner that has a cradle angle such that the child is positioned at a proper incline to prevent slumping and slouching while in the car seat.
It is yet another object of the present invention to provide a cushioning positioner that is manufactured from cushioning media to provide comfort, support and security to the child while in the car seat.
It is yet another object of the present invention to provide a cushioning positioner that is comprised of inflatable chambers.
Accordingly, the present invention relates to an insert for a child""s car seat, comprising: a cushioning positioner secured into a child""s car seat such that the cushioning positioner secures a child of any size in the car seat in a physiologically and physically beneficial orientation and protects the child from injury.
In another aspect, the present invention relates to an insert for a child""s car seat comprising a base with child placement area therein; and a restraint having a pivot and a securing end that is pivotally attached to the base such that when the restraint is pivoted away from the base, a child can be placed into the child placement area and when the restraint is pivoted toward the base it releasably attaches at the securing end to the base.
In yet another aspect, the present invention relates to an insert for a child""s car seat comprising a base having a bed and forming a cushioning positioner such that the cushioning positioner secures a child of any size in the car seat in a physiologically and physically beneficial orientation and protects the child from injury due to the operation of the car.